Work on Streetsboro railroad crossings nearly finished

by Mike Lesko | ReporterPublished: July 30, 2014 12:00AM

Streetboro -- Upgrading of five railroad crossings in the city is nearly done.

Work on the Mondial Parkway crossing near Jefferson Street, which Mayor Glenn Broska said was "by far" in the worst condition of those in the city, is near completion along with four other crossings in the city.

Broska said the city offered to pay 50 percent, or $87,000, of the cost associated with replacing the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Co. owned crossings on Seasons Road, Wellman Road, Aurora-Hudson Road and Ravenna Road.

Wheeling & Lake Erie has agreed to pay for the other half and administrate the $174,000 project, according to Dan Reinsel, assistant vice president of engineering for Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway.

After the paving to the roadways leading up to the crossings is completed in the next couple of weeks, the project will be finished.

City Council appropriated up to $107,000 to Wintrow Construction for the project, which is under the $125,000 that the city originally budgeted, Broska said.

However, the Mondial Parkway crossing will not cost the city any money, said Law Director David Maistros. The four businesses will each pay 25 percent of the total cost -- just under $12,000 -- back to the city since the crossing is on private property.

"The city is fronting that money," Maistros said.

The four businesses that are each paying 25 percent of the repairs are Aurora Plastics, Automated Packaging, Inland Paper Products and Ryder Corp.

"There is no cost to the city, so it's a good deal," Council member Jeff Allen said.